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Debbiereadsbook (1650 KP) rated Opposed Desires (Rehoboth Pact #2) in Books
Nov 18, 2021
love that we had to wait for Seina to give in!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Rehoboth Pact series, but it's not necessary to have rea book 1, Confined Desires, before this. Not necessary, but I would strongly RECOMMEND you do. Aubrey revokes the Pact in that book, and you need to know why.
Aubrey is a player. She goes out and gets one she wants, and there are no repeats. She is the polar opposite of Selina, who would rather go without than do what Aubrey does. In a moment of something totally out of character for BOTH these women, there is a fundamental shift in their relationship. But this is a vacation, and the real world encroaches.
I really enjoyed book 1, and I really enjoyed this one, for different reasons.
This is HEAVY on the emotional aspect from both these women. Aubs mum is ill, and she is worried that things are really bad again. Selina is lonely: she wants someone to love her, just as she is. And I cried a bit for both Aubs and Selina, I really did. They are both a little bit broken by their life experiences and actually talking to each other, rather than sniping at each other, starts them on a path neither is quite prepared for.
I love love LOVED that I had to wait for Selina to give in to Aubrey. But equally than AUBREY was the one who really wanted to wait. Aubrey usually had a different girl every night, but a whole vacation week, without a single one? Totally unheard of and I loved that her friends noticed. The smexy stuff is not especially explicit, but I'm finding I like that in these books. There is more to a relationship than sex and these women are finding that.
Skye and Mia (from book 1) are here, but also Kyle, who is the third in this little trio of friends. We didn't meet her before and she has a tale to tell, I can feel it. Her book is next, but not til bloody January! Kyle revokes the Pact here.
creeping up to 4.5 stars, (but rounding down to 4 for the blog, sorry!) can't quite stetch to five, but maybe Kyle can squeeze that extra bit outta me!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Rehoboth Pact series, but it's not necessary to have rea book 1, Confined Desires, before this. Not necessary, but I would strongly RECOMMEND you do. Aubrey revokes the Pact in that book, and you need to know why.
Aubrey is a player. She goes out and gets one she wants, and there are no repeats. She is the polar opposite of Selina, who would rather go without than do what Aubrey does. In a moment of something totally out of character for BOTH these women, there is a fundamental shift in their relationship. But this is a vacation, and the real world encroaches.
I really enjoyed book 1, and I really enjoyed this one, for different reasons.
This is HEAVY on the emotional aspect from both these women. Aubs mum is ill, and she is worried that things are really bad again. Selina is lonely: she wants someone to love her, just as she is. And I cried a bit for both Aubs and Selina, I really did. They are both a little bit broken by their life experiences and actually talking to each other, rather than sniping at each other, starts them on a path neither is quite prepared for.
I love love LOVED that I had to wait for Selina to give in to Aubrey. But equally than AUBREY was the one who really wanted to wait. Aubrey usually had a different girl every night, but a whole vacation week, without a single one? Totally unheard of and I loved that her friends noticed. The smexy stuff is not especially explicit, but I'm finding I like that in these books. There is more to a relationship than sex and these women are finding that.
Skye and Mia (from book 1) are here, but also Kyle, who is the third in this little trio of friends. We didn't meet her before and she has a tale to tell, I can feel it. Her book is next, but not til bloody January! Kyle revokes the Pact here.
creeping up to 4.5 stars, (but rounding down to 4 for the blog, sorry!) can't quite stetch to five, but maybe Kyle can squeeze that extra bit outta me!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Dream Weaver (Mystic Beach #2)
10.0
Rate It
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His rise to rock-and-roll stardom pulled them apart. Can a magical summer at the beach bring them...
RockStar Romance Celtic Spirituality - Irish
Debbiereadsbook (1650 KP) rated Captivated by Dominik (The Ralston Brothers) in Books
Jan 27, 2026
I just felt I missing *something*
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This appears to be a spin off series, in the Gen-Heirs world. I need to comment at that before I start.
For ME, and I stress ME, I think I maybe should have read some other books in this world to get the feel of it fully. I found myself feeling (and ya'll know about me sharing my book feelings!) I was missing some vital information that I should know about this world. At more than one point, I thought I had missed something but no, it was jusy dropped in like I knew what they were talking about.
The most obvious one, was what happened to the world almost a thousand years ago. I have know no idea, not a single clue as to what happened. Did I miss something along the way? I dunno. But book feelings are important to share and I'm-a sharing.
What I did like, though, was that this was a different world and the rules are different. They think nothing of contracting out a marriage a year, and then they move on. Or I should say, the powers that be do. Sienna struggled. Dominik comes along, as bodyguard for a mission, and she is thrown for a loop when he changes the contract to 5 years. But Dominik is a Beast Master, to Alisater, a hawk. The animal knows before the person does.
I liked that Dominink let Sienna call all the shots in their personal relationship. He let her know that he WOULD touch her, but only when she asked. And he waits. He lets Sienna, at every point, move their relationship along. I loved that she trusted him enough to do that. It gets steamy and smexy once Sienna really lets Dominik in.
I liked that both Sienna and Dominik get a say, as does Alisater when he's talking to Dominik. The bird has opinions! You get into both their minds, as they navigate this new contract, the mission and their growing feelings.
I think I'll read something else by this author, maybe about Dominik's siblings. I might find what I'm missing here.
A thoroughly enjoyable 4 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This appears to be a spin off series, in the Gen-Heirs world. I need to comment at that before I start.
For ME, and I stress ME, I think I maybe should have read some other books in this world to get the feel of it fully. I found myself feeling (and ya'll know about me sharing my book feelings!) I was missing some vital information that I should know about this world. At more than one point, I thought I had missed something but no, it was jusy dropped in like I knew what they were talking about.
The most obvious one, was what happened to the world almost a thousand years ago. I have know no idea, not a single clue as to what happened. Did I miss something along the way? I dunno. But book feelings are important to share and I'm-a sharing.
What I did like, though, was that this was a different world and the rules are different. They think nothing of contracting out a marriage a year, and then they move on. Or I should say, the powers that be do. Sienna struggled. Dominik comes along, as bodyguard for a mission, and she is thrown for a loop when he changes the contract to 5 years. But Dominik is a Beast Master, to Alisater, a hawk. The animal knows before the person does.
I liked that Dominink let Sienna call all the shots in their personal relationship. He let her know that he WOULD touch her, but only when she asked. And he waits. He lets Sienna, at every point, move their relationship along. I loved that she trusted him enough to do that. It gets steamy and smexy once Sienna really lets Dominik in.
I liked that both Sienna and Dominik get a say, as does Alisater when he's talking to Dominik. The bird has opinions! You get into both their minds, as they navigate this new contract, the mission and their growing feelings.
I think I'll read something else by this author, maybe about Dominik's siblings. I might find what I'm missing here.
A thoroughly enjoyable 4 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Merissa (13749 KP) rated A Fate Forged in Fire (Bonded to Beasts #1) in Books
May 20, 2025
A FATE FORGED IN FIRE is the first book in the Bonded to Beasts series, featuring Aemyra as the young queen who wants to claim her throne.
This is a fast-paced story that does come with TWs, so please take note of them. There is a lot of information regarding the world-building at the beginning, which is a lot to take in, but nothing much really about Aemyra and her upbringing/relationship with her family. Basically, in a matriarchal society, she is the first female born in an arm of the family that doesn't hold the throne. So, of course, she's been trained from birth to takeover when the time is right. And that's what this instalment is about.
The two MCs - Aemyra and Fiorean - are married after she goes off to avenge her family and gets caught. I preferred their relationship when they were enemies as it seemed forced when they were 'together.' Aemyra is hard to like as a character. She shows very little empathy for anyone else, even other women in the same situation as she is. She is headstrong with a quick-fire temper and wonders why no one takes her seriously with the plans she made on the hop when full of emotion, which completely fall apart at the seams when it comes to the execution of said plans. Fiorean makes a comment that she has been raised as a puppet and I completely agree. Honestly? At this stage, I'm struggling to find any redeeming qualities in her. She is the most reactive character I've read in a while.
Terrea was the best character, especially with her fondness for Aemyra's twin brother, Adarien. Draeven was a d!ck, no two ways about it. And the others... had their moments.
There were parts of this story that I enjoyed and parts I didn't. I would definitely read the next book in this series as I am hopeful for character redemption and would love to see Aemyra mature. Plus, more Terrea! I think this book will be loved by some and not by others. For me, I'm on the fence and waiting for the next one.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 1, 2025
This is a fast-paced story that does come with TWs, so please take note of them. There is a lot of information regarding the world-building at the beginning, which is a lot to take in, but nothing much really about Aemyra and her upbringing/relationship with her family. Basically, in a matriarchal society, she is the first female born in an arm of the family that doesn't hold the throne. So, of course, she's been trained from birth to takeover when the time is right. And that's what this instalment is about.
The two MCs - Aemyra and Fiorean - are married after she goes off to avenge her family and gets caught. I preferred their relationship when they were enemies as it seemed forced when they were 'together.' Aemyra is hard to like as a character. She shows very little empathy for anyone else, even other women in the same situation as she is. She is headstrong with a quick-fire temper and wonders why no one takes her seriously with the plans she made on the hop when full of emotion, which completely fall apart at the seams when it comes to the execution of said plans. Fiorean makes a comment that she has been raised as a puppet and I completely agree. Honestly? At this stage, I'm struggling to find any redeeming qualities in her. She is the most reactive character I've read in a while.
Terrea was the best character, especially with her fondness for Aemyra's twin brother, Adarien. Draeven was a d!ck, no two ways about it. And the others... had their moments.
There were parts of this story that I enjoyed and parts I didn't. I would definitely read the next book in this series as I am hopeful for character redemption and would love to see Aemyra mature. Plus, more Terrea! I think this book will be loved by some and not by others. For me, I'm on the fence and waiting for the next one.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 1, 2025
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Girlfriend in Books
Sep 26, 2017
Tiger mum v gold digger girlfriend plus a hapless boyfriend
There are a fair few pros and cons with this book, including the writing. While the story itself is climactic, filled with twists, it reeks of class stereotypes, which were very unfortunate. Not all people from working class backgrounds are gold diggers, not all rich people look down on others, and not all boyfriends are clueless hopeless romantics.
A young woman begins a relationship with a man much wealthier than herself, who she hopes to extort luxuries in the future. The man, who is oblivious to everything on earth, has a tiger mum, fiercely protective over her son, having a loveless marriage and having lost her first child. So it's a battle about who wins Daniel and how far they will go.
It is fairly obvious which way the story will lean towards, especially by half way, and there are a few pointless characters such as Izzy, a friend of the mother. And Tooting is actually a very fashionable place I'll have you know.
Some holes in the plot, and irritating generalities, but good story.
A young woman begins a relationship with a man much wealthier than herself, who she hopes to extort luxuries in the future. The man, who is oblivious to everything on earth, has a tiger mum, fiercely protective over her son, having a loveless marriage and having lost her first child. So it's a battle about who wins Daniel and how far they will go.
It is fairly obvious which way the story will lean towards, especially by half way, and there are a few pointless characters such as Izzy, a friend of the mother. And Tooting is actually a very fashionable place I'll have you know.
Some holes in the plot, and irritating generalities, but good story.
Serena (8 KP) rated Everything I Want in Books
Nov 22, 2017
With Lily graduating she can’t help but realise how far she has come, but she also remembers Alfie, knowing that she has made the right decision when she sees him with all the models, and that she would have resented giving up her dream for his.
Seeing Alfie again, after so long was hard, but again he is persistent, with a love like theirs coming only once in a life time. After talking with her best friend Jack, Lily is starting to think that maybe she needs to take another chance with Jack
With everything nearly perfect between Lily and Alfie, Lily’s friend reminds her that it is her that is putting the distance between them, that she is saying that she can’t have music and Alfie, and she can if she tries.
When the media starts posting photos, with Lily having no contact with Alfie since she left, it starts to have a major impact on their relationship, leaving Lily wondering if they still have one.
After a tragedy Lily realises that she can have Music and Alfie too, and they get their happily ever after.
Seeing Alfie again, after so long was hard, but again he is persistent, with a love like theirs coming only once in a life time. After talking with her best friend Jack, Lily is starting to think that maybe she needs to take another chance with Jack
With everything nearly perfect between Lily and Alfie, Lily’s friend reminds her that it is her that is putting the distance between them, that she is saying that she can’t have music and Alfie, and she can if she tries.
When the media starts posting photos, with Lily having no contact with Alfie since she left, it starts to have a major impact on their relationship, leaving Lily wondering if they still have one.
After a tragedy Lily realises that she can have Music and Alfie too, and they get their happily ever after.
kitty ♡ (68 KP) rated Christmas Inheritance (2017) in Movies
Dec 19, 2017
the story line is cute! (3 more)
heartwarming!
family dynamics!
overall a sweet time!
your standard, run-on-the-mill christmas rom com
Contains spoilers, click to show
is anyone else just TIRED of the "i'm engaged to the Worst Person Alive and won't do anything about it until i meet this down to earth single person who makes me feel like i've never felt before but i'm gonna lead them on until i'm finally fed up with how my fiance treats me and everyone else" plot? what is it with movies that feature engaged people that just stops them from being in a relationship with decent people, and the movie doesn't end with the engaged person dumping their fiance for the one they met like a week ago?
regardless, this movie is kind of cute. it features a great dynamic between the main character, Ellie, and her father as well as a friendship to strive toward (her father and uncle Zeke). it's a very sweet story, and despite my little rant up top, i did enjoy it. it's heart warming, entertaining, and the ending had me tearing up a little bit?
regardless, this movie is kind of cute. it features a great dynamic between the main character, Ellie, and her father as well as a friendship to strive toward (her father and uncle Zeke). it's a very sweet story, and despite my little rant up top, i did enjoy it. it's heart warming, entertaining, and the ending had me tearing up a little bit?
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated My Absolute Darling in Books
Dec 31, 2017
Really struggled to get into this
This is one of those love/hate type of books, and unfortunately I fall into the latter camp. An extremely triggering and sensitive subject tackled here by author Gabriel Tallent - the topic of child sexual abuse written in the perspective of a young girl, Turtle, and her relationship with her father, Martin, who is responsible for abusing her. As she develops, she becomes more aware of her situation and the precarious horrors that she faces.
The major issue here is the gratuitous language used by the author, to describe Turtle's violent circumstance - it almost sounds pornographic rather than terrifying. While I can see Tallent's attempts to show Turtle internalising the language used by her father, it becomes overused and cliched. The pair are portrayed as gun-toting, hill-billy, survivalists and at one point, are even seen to read Deliverance. It is hyperbolic by the end in her bid to find justice, and for many survivors - this just isn't the case.
It does make sense why so many women have criticised his writing, he should probably try to stick to something a little closer to home.
The major issue here is the gratuitous language used by the author, to describe Turtle's violent circumstance - it almost sounds pornographic rather than terrifying. While I can see Tallent's attempts to show Turtle internalising the language used by her father, it becomes overused and cliched. The pair are portrayed as gun-toting, hill-billy, survivalists and at one point, are even seen to read Deliverance. It is hyperbolic by the end in her bid to find justice, and for many survivors - this just isn't the case.
It does make sense why so many women have criticised his writing, he should probably try to stick to something a little closer to home.
jmercado (1 KP) rated Rikki (Hart University, #1) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
<strong>3.5 stars</strong>
Quick fun read
Completed in one day
This was a nice take on an enemy to lovers scenario that had a few twists that broke your typical ya vibes.
I loved the fact there was no slut shamming and the lgbtq+ aspects that were brought in
I could really appreciate the mc coming to terms with trying to figure out what she wants in a relationship and to me this had good insight to what transitions people go through leaving high school and entering college.
As much as this was a romanced based book I kind of felt that the last two chapters were very flat and somewhat unnecessary.
I think if they had left the mcs as they were prior to the last two chapters I would have been a bit more satisfied.
I think if we could have seen the mc grow without the love interest would have made it a bit more unique
Or if the character development further progressed I may have thought differently about the two staying separate.
But this was still an amazing book on its own and I look forward to reading more in the series.
Quick fun read
Completed in one day
This was a nice take on an enemy to lovers scenario that had a few twists that broke your typical ya vibes.
I loved the fact there was no slut shamming and the lgbtq+ aspects that were brought in
I could really appreciate the mc coming to terms with trying to figure out what she wants in a relationship and to me this had good insight to what transitions people go through leaving high school and entering college.
As much as this was a romanced based book I kind of felt that the last two chapters were very flat and somewhat unnecessary.
I think if they had left the mcs as they were prior to the last two chapters I would have been a bit more satisfied.
I think if we could have seen the mc grow without the love interest would have made it a bit more unique
Or if the character development further progressed I may have thought differently about the two staying separate.
But this was still an amazing book on its own and I look forward to reading more in the series.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Wow!
So I don't know how she does it but, Cassandra Clare manages to make each new installment in the Mortal Instruments series better than the last. And this latest novel did nothing to change that trend! It is very rare that a series keeps getting better & better but luckily for all the fans of these books, it does!
I was truly worried about Jace & Clary's relationship in this book. The way Jace was changed was awful, but it works so well with the plot. Clary is a wonderful female character...strong, smart, beautiful...there need to be more leads like her in books. I just couldn't put this book down! I even blew off some things I needed to get ready for my classroom before the school year starts up again just so I could see what was going to happen next. Now I dread that I am going to have to wait for the next novel in the series. The ending was great, but it is a cliffhanger. Not the kind that piss you off, but the good kind that leaves you dying to know what's going to happen next.
I love these books!
So I don't know how she does it but, Cassandra Clare manages to make each new installment in the Mortal Instruments series better than the last. And this latest novel did nothing to change that trend! It is very rare that a series keeps getting better & better but luckily for all the fans of these books, it does!
I was truly worried about Jace & Clary's relationship in this book. The way Jace was changed was awful, but it works so well with the plot. Clary is a wonderful female character...strong, smart, beautiful...there need to be more leads like her in books. I just couldn't put this book down! I even blew off some things I needed to get ready for my classroom before the school year starts up again just so I could see what was going to happen next. Now I dread that I am going to have to wait for the next novel in the series. The ending was great, but it is a cliffhanger. Not the kind that piss you off, but the good kind that leaves you dying to know what's going to happen next.
I love these books!